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Welcome to SAV the free encyclopedia August 2 is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 151 days remaining until the end of the year. Contents hide 1 Events 2 Births 3 Deaths .jpg]] 4 Holidays and observances 5 External links editEvents 338 BC – A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, securing Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean. 216 BC – Second Punic War: Battle of Cannae – The Carthaginian army lead by Hannibal defeats a numerically superior Roman army under command of consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro. 1610 – Henry Hudson sails into what it is now known as Hudson Bay, thinking he had made it through the Northwest Passage and reached the Pacific Ocean. 1776 – Delegates to the Continental Congress begin signing the United States Declaration of Independence. 1790 – The first US Census is conducted. 1798 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of the Nile (Battle of Aboukir Bay) concludes in a British victory 1869 – Japan's samurai, farmer, artisan, merchant class system (Shinōkōshō) is abolished as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms. (Traditional Japanese date: June 25, 1869). 1870 – Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London. 1903 – Fall of the Ottoman Empire: Unsuccessful uprising led by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization against Ottoman Turkey, also known as the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising. 1916 – World War I: Austrian sabotage causes the sinking of the Italian battleship Leonardo da Vinci in Taranto. 1918 – Japan announces that it is deploying troops to Siberia in the aftermath of World War I. 1932 – The positron (antiparticle of the electron) is discovered by Carl D. Anderson. 1934 – Gleichschaltung: Adolf Hitler becomes Führer of Germany. 1937 – The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 is passed in America, essentially rendering marijuana and all its by-products illegal. 1939 – Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd write a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt, urging him to begin the Manhattan project to develop a nuclear weapon. 1943 – Rebellion in the Nazi death camp of Treblinka. 1943 – World War II: PT-109 rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri and sinks. Lt. John F. Kennedy, future U.S. President, saves all but two of his crew. 1945 – World War II: Potsdam Conference, in which the Allied Powers discuss the future of defeated Germany, concludes. 1964 – Vietnam War: Gulf of Tonkin Incident – North Vietnamese gunboats allegedly fires on U.S. destroyers, USS Maddox and the USS Turner Joy. 1967 – The second Blackwall Tunnel opens in Greenwich, London. 1968 – The 1968 Casiguran Earthquake hits Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines killing more than 270 people and wounding 261. 1973 – A flash fire kills 51 at the Summerland amusement centre at Douglas, Isle of Man. 1980 – A bomb explodes at the railway station in Bologna, Italy, killing 85 people and wounding more than 200. 1985 – Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar crashes at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport killing 137. 1989 – 1989 Valvettiturai massacre is carried out by Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka killing 64 ethnic Tamil civilians. 1990 – Iraq invades Kuwait, eventually leading to conflict with coalition forces in the Gulf War. editBirths 1455 – John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1499) 1533 – Theodor Zwinger, Swiss scholar (d. 1588) 1612 – Saskia van Uylenburgh, wife of Rembrandt van Rijn (d. 1642) 1672 – Johann Jakob Scheuchzer, Swiss scholar (d. 1733) 1674 – Philip II, Duke of Orléans, Regent of France (d. 1723) 1696 – Mahmud I, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1754) 1702 – Dietrich of Anhalt-Dessau, German Prince (d. 1769) 1703 – Lorenzo Ricci, Italian Jesuit leader (d. 1775) 1740 – Jean Baptiste Camille Canclaux, French general (d. 1817) 1788 – Leopold Gmelin, German chemist (d. 1853) 1815 – Adolf Friedrich von Schack, German writer (d. 1894) 1820 – John Tyndall, British physicist (d. 1893) 1828 – Manuel Pavía y Rodríguez de Alburquerque, Spanish general (d. 1895) 1834 – Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor (d. 1904) 1835 – Elisha Gray, American inventor and entrepreneur (d. 1901) 1858 – Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, queen of the Netherlands (d. 1934) 1865 – Irving Babbitt, American literary critic (d. 1933) 1865 – John Radecki, Australian stained glass artist (d. 1955) 1868 – King Constantine I of Greece (d. 1923) 1871 – John French Sloan, American artist (d. 1951) 1872 – George E. Stewart, American Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1946) 1875 – Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Russian artist (d. 1957) 1878 – Aino Kallas, Finnish – Estonian author (d. 1956) 1882 – Red Ames, baseball player (d. 1936) 1884 – Rómulo Gallegos, President of Venezuela (d. 1969) 1886 – John Alexander Douglas McCurdy Canadian Aviator (d. 1961) 1887 – Tommy Ward, Former South African cricketer (d. 1936) 1890 – Marin Sais, American actress (d. 1971) 1891 – Viktor Maksimovich Zhirmunsky, Russian literary historian, linguist (d. 1971) 1892 – Jack Warner, Canadian film producer (d. 1978) 1895 – Matt Henderson, Former New Zealand cricketer (d. 1970) 1896 – Lorenzo Herrera, Venezuelan singer and composer (d. 1960) 1897 – Karl Otto Koch, German SS-officer (d. 1945) 1897 – Max Weber, Swiss Federal Councilor (d. 1974) 1899 – Charles Bennett, British screenwriter (d. 1995) 1902 – Helen Morgan, American actress (d. 1941) 1905 – Karl Amadeus Hartmann, German composer (d. 1963) 1905 – Myrna Loy, American actress (d. 1993) 1907 – Mary Hamman, American writer (d. 1984) 1910 – Roger MacDougall, writer (d. 1993) 1912 – Palle Huld, Danish actor 1912 – Ann Dvorak, American actress (d. 1979) 1912 – Vladimir Zerjavic, Croatian statistician (d. 2001) 1914 – Félix Leclerc, Quebec singer, songwriter and writer (d. 1988) 1914 – Beatrice Straight, American actress (d. 2001) 1915 – Gary Merrill, American actor (d. 1990) 1920 – Louis Pauwels, French journalist and writer (d. 1997) 1923 – Shimon Peres, Israeli politician, Prime Minister of Israel and the ninth President of the State of Israel 1924 – James Baldwin, American author (d. 1987) 1924 – Joe Harnell, American musician, composer and arranger (d. 2005) 1924 – Carroll O'Connor, American actor (d. 2001) 1925 – John Dexter, English stage and film director (d. 1990) 1925 – John McCormack, Canadian ice hockey player 1925 – Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentinian dictator 1925 – Alan Whicker, British journalist and broadcaster 1926 – Betsy Bloomingdale, American socialite 1928 – Malcolm Hilton, Former England cricketer (d. 1990) 1930 – Vali Myers, Australian painter (d. 2003) 1931 – Pierre DuMaine, Catholic bishop 1931 – Viliam Schrojf, Slovak footballer (d. 2007) 1931 – Eddie Fuller, Former South African cricketer (d. 2008) 1932 – Lamar Hunt, American sports executive (d. 2006) 1932 – Peter O'Toole, Irish-born actor 1934 – Valery Bykovsky, Soviet cosmonaut 1935 – Hank Cochran, American country music singer and songwriter 1937 – Billy Cannon, American football player 1937 – Garth Hudson, Canadian musician (The Band) 1938 – Dave Balon, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2007) 1938 – Pierre de Bané, French Canadian politician 1938 – Terry Peck, Falkland Islander-born British soldier (d. 2006) 1939 – Benjamin Barber, American political theorist 1939 – Wes Craven, American film director 1939 – John W. Snow, American 73rd United States Secretary of the Treasury 1941 – Doris Coley, American singer (Shirelles) (d. 2000) 1942 – Isabel Allende, Chilean author 1943 – Tom Burgmeier, American baseball player 1943 – Max Wright, American actor 1944 – Jim Capaldi, British musician and songwriter (Traffic) (d. 2005) 1944 – Naná Vasconcelos, Brazilian jazz musician 1945 – Joanna Cassidy, American actress 1945 – Alex Jesaulenko, Australian rules footballer 1947 – Massiel, Spanish singer 1948 – Andy Fairweather Low, British guitarist 1948 – Dennis Prager, American radio talk show host and author 1949 – James Fallows, American journalist 1950 – Lance Ito, American judge 1950 – Sue Rodriguez, Canadian assisted suicide advocate (d. 1994) 1951 – Andrew Gold, American musician and songwriter 1951 – Joe Lynn Turner, American singer (Deep Purple, Rainbow) 1951 – Freddie Wadling, Swedish actor and musician (The Leather Nun, Fleshquartet) 1951 – Per Westerberg, Swedish politician 1953 – Marjo, Quebec singer 1953 – Butch Patrick, American actor 1954 – James Charles Kopp, American citizen who murdered Barnett Slepian 1954 – Sammy McIlroy, Northern Irish footballer and manager 1955 – Caleb Carr, American novelist and military historian 1955 – Tim Dunigan, American Actor 1955 – Tony Godden, English football goalkeeper 1956 – Fulvio Melia, Italian-American physicist/astrophysicist and author 1956 – Jim Neidhart, American professional wrestler 1956 – Isabel Pantoja, Spanish singer 1957 – Mojo Nixon, American musician and actor 1958 – Arshad Ayub, Former Indian cricketer 1959 – Victoria Jackson, American comedian 1959 – Apollonia Kotero, American singer and actress 1960 – Neal Morse, American musician (Spock's Beard, Transatlantic) 1960 – David Yow, American musician (Scratch Acid, The Jesus Lizard) 1961 – Graham Dye, English singer/songwriter and guitarist (Scarlet Party; The Alan Parsons Project) 1961 – Linda Fratianne, American figure skater 1961 – Cold 187um, American rapper (Above the Law) 1963 – Daniel Pelosi, American convicted murderer 1963 – Laura Bennett, American architect and designer 1964 – Frank Biela, German race car driver 1964 – Mary-Louise Parker, American actress 1965 – Hisanobu Watanabe, Japanese baseball player and coach 1966 – Takayuki Iizuka, Japanese professional wrestler 1966 – Tim Wakefield, American baseball player 1966 – M.V. Sridhar, Indian cricketer 1967 – Aaron Krickstein, American tennis player 1967 – Aline Brosh McKenna, American screenwriter 1968 – Stefan Effenberg, German footballer 1968 – John Stanier, American musician Helmet 1969 – Cedric Ceballos, American basketball player 1969 – Fernando Couto, Portuguese footballer 1969 – Jan Axel Blomberg Norwegian musician (Dimmu Borgir, Winds, Mayhem) 1969 – Richard Hallebeek, Dutch guitarist 1970 – Tony Amonte, American ice hockey player 1970 – Kevin Smith, American director and screenwriter 1970 – Philo Wallace, West-Indian cricketer 1971 – Alice Evans, English actress 1971 – Michael Hughes, Irish footballer 1972 – Mohamed Al-Deayea, Saudi Arabian footballer 1972 – Jacinda Barrett, Australian model and actress 1972 – Daniele Nardello, Italian professional road racing cyclist 1972 – Justyna Steczkowska, Polish singer 1973 – Hiroyuki Goto, Japanese game designer 1973 – Danie Keulder, Former Namibian cricketer 1974 – Angie Cepeda, Colombian actress 1975 – Mineiro, Brazilian footballer 1975 – Xu Huaiwen, Chinese-born badminton player 1975 – Ingrid Rubio, Spanish actress 1976 – Reyes Estévez, Spanish athlete 1976 – Sam Worthington, Australian actor 1976 – Jay Heaps, American soccer player 1976 – Michael Weiss, Olympic figure skater 1976 – Mohammad Zahid, Former Pakistani cricketer 1977 – Edward Furlong, American actor 1978 – Goran Gavrančić, Serbian footballer 1978 – Matt Guerrier, American baseball player 1979 – Reuben Kosgei, Kenyan athlete 1980 – Ivica Banović, Croatian footballer 1980 – Nadia Bjorlin, American actress 1982 – Hélder Postiga, Portuguese footballer 1982 – Grady Sizemore, American baseball player 1983 – Nick Diaz, American MMA fighter 1983 – Molly Bish, American Abductee (d. 2000) 1984 – Chiara Mastalli, Italian actress 1984 – Giampaolo Pazzini, Italian footballer 1985 – Harry Smith, Canadian professional wrestler 1986 – Mathieu Razanakolona, Malagasy skier 1988 – Brittany Hargest, American singer (Jump5) 1990 – Alice Connor, British actress 1991 – Evander Kane, Canadian ice hockey player 1992 – Hallie Kate Eisenberg, American actress 2002 – Kara and Shelby Hoffman, American actress editDeaths 686 – Pope John V 924 – Ælfweard of Wessex 1100 – King William II of England 1222 – Count Raymond VI of Toulouse (b. 1156) 1445 – Oswald von Wolkenstein, Austrian composer (b. 1376 or 1377) 1511 – Andrew Barton, Scottish naval leader 1589 – King Henry III of France (b. 1551) 1611 – Kato Kiyomasa, Japanese warlord and samurai (b. 1562) 1696 – Robert Campbell of Glenlyon, Scottish military commander (b. 1630) 1769 – Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea, English politician (b. 1689) 1776 – Louis François I, Prince of Conti, French military leader (b. 1717) 1788 – Thomas Gainsborough, English artist (b. 1727) 1799 – Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, French inventor (b. 1745) 1815 – Guillaume Marie Anne Brune, French marshal (b. 1763) 1823 – Lazare Carnot, French general, politician, and mathematician (b. 1753) 1849 – Governor Muhammad Ali of Egypt (b. 1769) 1859 – Horace Mann, American educator and abolitionist (b. 1796) 1876 – James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, American gunfighter (b. 1837) 1889 – Eduardo Gutiérrez, Argentinian author (b. 1851) 1890 – Louise-Victorine Ackermann, French poet (b. 1813) 1903 – Edmond Nocard, French veterinarian (b. 1850) 1920 – Ormer Locklear, American stunt pilot (b. 1891) 1921 – Enrico Caruso, Italian tenor (b. 1873) 1922 – Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish-born inventor, invented the telephone(b. 1847) 1923 – Warren G. Harding, 29th President of the United States (b. 1865) 1929 – Mae Costello, American actress (b. 1882) 1934 – Paul von Hindenburg, German field marshal and President of Germany (b. 1847) 1936 – Louis Blériot, French aviation pioneer (b. 1872) 1939 – Harvey Spencer Lewis, American Rosicrucian mystic (b. 1883) 1945 – Pietro Mascagni, Italian composer (b. 1863) 1955 – Alfred Lépine, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1901) 1972 – Helen Hoyt, American poet (b. 1887) 1972 – Brian Cole, American bass player (The Association) (b. 1942) 1973 – Jean-Pierre Melville, French film director (b. 1917) 1974 – W. Douglas Hawkes, British racing driver (b. 1893) 1976 – Fritz Lang, Austrian film director (b. 1890) 1978 – Carlos Chávez, Mexican composer (b. 1899) 1979 – Thurman Munson, American baseball player (b. 1947) 1983 – James Jamerson, American musician (b. 1936) 1986 – Roy Cohn, American politician (b. 1927) 1988 – Raymond Carver, American writer (b. 1938) 1988 – Joe Carcione, American consumer advocate (b. 1914) 1990 – Norman Mclean, American writer (b. 1902) 1990 – Edwin Richfield, British actor (b. 1921) 1992 – Michel Berger, French singer and songwriter (b. 1947) 1996 – Michel Debré, French politician (b. 1912) 1996 – Mohamed Farrah Aidid, Somalian Warlord (b. 1934) 1997 – William S. Burroughs, American writer (b. 1914) 1997 – Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Nigerian musician (b. 1938) 1998 – Shari Lewis, American puppeteer (b. 1933) 2001 – Ron Townson, American singer (The Fifth Dimension) (b. 1933) 2003 – Don Estelle, British actor (b. 1933) 2003 – Mike Levey, American television personality (b. 1948) 2003 – Peter Safar, Austrian physician (b. 1924) 2004 – Don Tosti, American musician (b. 1923) 2004 – François Craenhals, Belgian comics artist (b. 1926) 2005 – Steven Vincent, American journalist and writer (b. 1955) 2007 – Chauncey Bailey, American journalist and editor (b. 1950) 2007 – Holden Roberto, Angolan founder and leader of the FNLA (b. 1923) 2007 – Kay Dotrice, English repertory actress (b. 1929) 2008 – Fujio Akatsuka, Japanese cartoonist (b. 1935) editHolidays and observances Costa Rica – Our Lady of the Angels. Republic of Macedonia – Republic Day. Day of Airborne Forces in Russia and Ukraine. Day of Azerbaijani cinema Basil Fool for Christ in the Russian Orthodox Church Saint Abel in the Syrian church Roman Catholicism Saint Alphonsus Mary de Ligouri Translation of Saint Alban, martyr (protomartyr of England) Saint Auspicius, Bishop of Apt, martyr Saint Eusebius, Bishop of Vercelli Country "Bharat" and "ROI" redirect here. For other uses, see Bharat (disambiguation) and ROI (disambiguation). This article is about Republic of India. For other uses, see India (disambiguation). Republic of India भारत गणराज्य* Bhārat Gaṇarājya Flag National Emblem Motto: "Satyameva Jayate" (Sanskrit) सत्यमेव जयते (Devanāgarī) "Truth Alone Triumphs"1 Anthem: Jana Gana Mana Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people2 National Song4 Vande Mataram I bow to thee, Mother3 Capital New Delhi ‡) 28°34′N 77°12′E Largest city Mumbai Official languages Hindi, Englishshow Constitutionally recognised languages 8th Schedule:show Demonym Indian Government Federal republic Parliamentary democracy8 - President Pratibha Patil - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh - Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan Legislature Sansad - Upper House Rajya Sabha - Lower House Lok Sabha Independence from United Kingdom - Declared 15 August 1947 - Republic 26 January 1950 Area - Total 3,287,240‡ km2 (7th) 1,269,210 sq mi - Water (%) 9.56 Population - 2008 estimate 1,147,995,9049 (2nd) - 2001 census 1,028,610,32810 - Density 349/km2 (32nd) 904/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate - Total $3.288 trillion11 - Per capita $2,76211 GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate - Total $1.209 trillion11 - Per capita $1,01611 Gini (2004) 36.812 HDI (2008) 0.609 (medium) (132) Currency Indian rupee (₨) (INR) Time zone IST (UTC+5:30) - Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+5:30) Drives on the left Internet TLD .in Calling code 91 Non-numbered Footnotes:show India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: भारत गणराज्य Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east, India has a coastline of 7,517 kilometres (4,700 mi).14 It is bordered by Pakistan to the west;15 People's Republic of China (PRC), Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia in the Indian Ocean. Home to the Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history.16 Four major religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated there, while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the first millennium CE and shaped the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early eighteenth century and colonised by the United Kingdom from the mid-nineteenth century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by widespread nonviolent resistanceneeded. India is a republic consisting of 28 states and seven union territories with a parliamentary system of democracy. It has the world's twelfth largest economy at market exchange rates and the fourth largest in purchasing power. Economic reforms since 1991 have transformed it into one of the fastest growing economies;17 however, it still suffers from high levels of poverty,18 illiteracy, and malnutrition. A pluralistic, multilingual, and multiethnic society, India is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. Contents hide 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Government 3.1 Administrative divisions 4 Politics 5 Foreign relations and military 6 Geography 7 Flora and fauna 8 Economy 9 Demographics 10 Culture 10.1 Sports 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 External links Etymology Main article: Names of India The name India (pronounced /ˈɪndiə/) is derived from Indus, which is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu, from Sanskrit Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River.19 The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi (Ινδοί), the people of the Indus.20 The Constitution of India and common usage in various Indian languages also recognise Bharat (pronounced bʱaːrət ( listen)) as an official name of equal status.21 Hindustan ( /hin̪d̪ust̪ɑːn/ ), which is the Persian word for “Land of the Hindus” and historically referred to northern India, is also occasionally used as a synonym for all of India.22 History Main articles: History of India and History of the Republic of India Stone Age rock shelters with paintings at the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh are the earliest known traces of human life in India. The first known permanent settlements appeared over 9,000 years ago and gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation,23 dating back to 3300 BCE in western India. It was followed by the Vedic period, which laid the foundations of Hinduism and other cultural aspects of early Indian society, and ended in the 500s BCE. From around 550 BCE, many independent kingdoms and republics known as the Mahajanapadas were established across the country.24 Paintings at the Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, sixth century In the third century BCE, most of South Asia was united into the Maurya Empire by Chandragupta Maurya and flourished under Ashoka the Great.25 From the third century CE, the Gupta dynasty oversaw the period referred to as ancient "India's Golden Age."2627 Empires in Southern India included those of the Chalukyas, the Cholas and the Vijayanagara Empire. Science, technology, engineering, art, logic, language, literature, mathematics, astronomy, religion and philosophy flourished under the patronage of these kings. Following invasions from Central Asia between the 10th and 12th centuries, much of North India came under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire. Under the rule of Akbar the Great, India enjoyed much cultural and economic progress as well as religious harmony.2829 Mughal emperors gradually expanded their empires to cover large parts of the subcontinent. However, in North-Eastern India, the dominant power was the Ahom kingdom of Assam, among the few kingdoms to have resisted Mughal subjugation. The first major threat to Mughal imperial power came from a Hindu Rajput king Maha Rana Pratap of Mewar in the 14th century and later from a Hindu state known as the Maratha confederacy, that dominated much of India in the mid-18th century.30 From the 16th century, European powers such as Portugal, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom established trading posts and later took advantage of internal conflicts to establish colonies in the country. By 1856, most of India was under the control of the British East India Company.31 A year later, a nationwide insurrection of rebelling military units and kingdoms, known as India's First War of Independence or the Sepoy Mutiny, seriously challenged the Company's control but eventually failed. As a result of the instability, India was brought under the direct rule of the British Crown. Mahatma Gandhi (right) with Jawaharlal Nehru, 1937. Nehru would go on to become India's first prime minister in 1947. In the 20th century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched by the Indian National Congress and other political organisations. Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi led millions of people in national campaigns of non-violent civil disobedience.32 On 15 August 1947, India gained independence from British rule, but at the same time Muslim-majority areas were partitioned to form a separate state of Pakistan.33 On 26 January 1950, India became a republic and a new constitution came into effect.9 Since independence, India has faced challenges from religious violence, casteism, naxalism, terrorism and regional separatist insurgencies, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast India. Since the 1990s terrorist attacks have affected many Indian cities. India has unresolved territorial disputes with P. R. China, which in 1962 escalated into the Sino-Indian War; and with Pakistan, which resulted in wars in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999. India is a founding member of the United Nations (as British India) and the Non-Aligned Movement. In 1974, India conducted an underground nuclear test34 and five more tests in 1998, making India a nuclear state.34 Beginning in 1991, significant economic reforms35 have transformed India into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, increasing its global clout.17 Government Main article: Government of India National Symbols of India36 Flag Tricolour Emblem Sarnath Lion Capital Anthem Jana Gana Mana Song Vande Mataram Animal Royal Bengal Tiger Bird Indian Peafowl Flower Lotus Tree Banyan Fruit Mango Sport Field hockey Calendar Saka The Constitution of India, the longest and the most exhaustive constitution of any independent nation in the world, came into force on 26 January, 1950.37 The preamble of the constitution defines India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.38 India has a bicameral parliament operating under a Westminster-style parliamentary system. Its form of government was traditionally described as being 'quasi-federal' with a strong centre and weaker states,39 but it has grown increasingly federal since the late 1990s as a result of political, economic and social changes.40 The President of India is the head of state41 elected indirectly by an electoral college42 for a five-year term.4344 The Prime Minister is the head of government and exercises most executive powers.41 Appointed by the President,45 the Prime Minister is by convention supported by the party or political alliance holding the majority of seats in the lower house of Parliament.41 The executive branch consists of the President, Vice-President, and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet being its executive committee) headed by the Prime Minister. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a member of either house of parliament. In the Indian parliamentary system, the executive is subordinate to the legislature, with the Prime Minister and his Council being directly responsible to the lower house of the Parliament.46 The Legislature of India is the bicameral Parliament, which consists of the upper house called the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the lower house called the Lok Sabha (House of People).47 The Rajya Sabha, a permanent body, has 245 members serving staggered six year terms.48 Most are elected indirectly by the state and territorial legislatures in proportion to the state's population.48 543 of the Lok Sabha's 545 members are directly elected by popular vote to represent individual constituencies for five year terms.48 The other two members are nominated by the President from the Anglo-Indian community if the President is of the opinion that the community is not adequately represented.48 India has a unitary three-tier judiciary, consisting of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India, twenty-one High Courts, and a large number of trial courts.49 The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over cases involving fundamental rights and over disputes between states and the Centre, and appellate jurisdiction over the High Courts.50 It is judicially independent,49 and has the power to declare the law and to strike down Union or State laws which contravene the Constitution.51 The role as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution is one of the most important functions of the Supreme Court.52 Administrative divisions Main article: Administrative divisions of India India consists of twenty-eight states and seven Union Territories.53 All states, and the two union territories of Puducherry and the National Capital Territory of Delhi, have elected legislatures and governments patterned on the Westminster model. The other five union territories are directly ruled by the Centre through appointed administrators. In 1956, under the States Reorganisation Act, states were formed on a linguistic basis.54 Since then, this structure has remained largely unchanged. Each state or union territory is further divided into administrative districts.55 The districts in turn are further divided into tehsils and eventually into villages. Administrative divisions of India, including 28 states and 7 union territories. States: Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Assam Bihar Chhattisgarh Goa Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu and Kashmir Jharkhand Karnataka Kerala Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Orissa Punjab Rajasthan Sikkim Tamil Nadu Tripura Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand West Bengal Union Territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands Chandigarh Dadra and Nagar Haveli Daman and Diu Lakshadweep National Capital Territory of Delhi Puducherry Politics Main article: Politics of India The North Block, in New Delhi, houses key government offices. India is the most populous democracy in the world.5657 For most of the years since independence, the federal government has been led by the Indian National Congress (INC).53 Politics in the states have been dominated by several national parties including the INC, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and various regional parties. From 1950 to 1990, barring two brief periods, the INC enjoyed a parliamentary majority. The INC was out of power between 1977 and 1980, when the Janata Party won the election owing to public discontent with the state of emergency declared by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In 1989, a Janata Dal-led National Front coalition in alliance with the Left Front coalition won the elections but managed to stay in power for only two years.58 As the 1991 elections gave no political party a majority, the INC formed a minority government under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and was able to complete its five-year term.59 The years 1996–1998 were a period of turmoil in the federal government with several short-lived alliances holding sway. The BJP formed a government briefly in 1996, followed by the United Front coalition that excluded both the BJP and the INC. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with several other parties and became the first non-Congress government to complete a full five-year term.60 In the 2004 Indian elections, the INC won the largest number of Lok Sabha seats and formed a government with a coalition called the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), supported by various Left-leaning parties and members opposed to the BJP. The UPA again came into power in the 2009 general election; however, the representation of the Left leaning parties within the coalition has significantly reduced.61 Manmohan Singh became the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term.62 Foreign relations and military Main articles: Foreign relations of India and Indian Armed Forces The Sukhoi-30 MKI is the Indian Air Force's prime air superiority fighter and an enhanced version of Su-27.63 Since its independence in 1947, India has maintained cordial relationships with most nations. It took a leading role in the 1950s by advocating the independence of European colonies in Africa and Asia.64 India was involved in two brief military interventions in neighboring countries – Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka and Operation Cactus in Maldives. India is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement.65 After the Sino-Indian War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, India's relationship with the Soviet Union warmed and continued to remain so until the end of the Cold War. India has fought two wars with Pakistan over the Kashmir dispute. A third war between India and Pakistan in 1971 resulted in the creation of Bangladesh (then East Pakistan).66 Additional skirmishes have taken place between the two nations over the Siachen Glacier. In 1999, India and Pakistan fought an undeclared war over Kargil. India and Russia share an extensive economic, defence and technological relationship.67 Shown here is PM Manmohan Singh with President Dmitry Medvedev at the 34th G8 Summit. In recent years, India has played an influential role in the SAARC, and the WTO.68 India has provided as many as 55,000 Indian military and police personnel to serve in thirty-five UN peace keeping operations across four continents.69 Despite criticism and military sanctions, India has consistently refused to sign the CTBT and the NPT, preferring instead to maintain sovereignty over its nuclear program. Recent overtures by the Indian government have strengthened relations with the United States, China and Pakistan. In the economic sphere, India has close relationships with other developing nations in South America, Asia and Africa. India maintains the third-largest military force in the world, which consists of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force9 and auxiliary forces such as the Paramilitary Forces, the Coast Guard, and the Strategic Forces Command. The President of India is the supreme commander of the Indian Armed Forces. India maintains close defence cooperation with Russia, Israel and France, who are the chief suppliers of arms. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) oversees indigenous development of sophisticated arms and military equipment, including ballistic missiles, fighter aircraft and main battle tanks, to reduce India's dependence on foreign imports. India became a nuclear power in 1974 after conducting an initial nuclear test, Operation Smiling Buddha and further underground testing in 1998. India maintains a "no first use" nuclear policy.70 On 10 October, 2008 Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement was signed, prior to which India received IAEA and NSG waivers, ending restrictions on nuclear technology commerce with which India became de facto sixth nuclear power in world.71 Geography Main article: Geography of India See also: Geological history of India and Climate of India Topographic map of India. India, the major portion of the Indian subcontinent, sits atop the Indian tectonic plate, a minor plate within the Indo-Australian Plate.72 India's defining geological processes commenced seventy-five million years ago, when the Indian subcontinent, then part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana, began a northeastwards drift—lasting fifty million years—across the then unformed Indian Ocean.72 The subcontinent's subsequent collision with the Eurasian Plate and subduction under it, gave rise to the Himalayas, the planet's highest mountains, which now abut India in the north and the north-east.72 In the former seabed immediately south of the emerging Himalayas, plate movement created a vast trough, which, having gradually been filled with river-borne sediment,73 now forms the Indo-Gangetic Plain.74 To the west of this plain, and cut off from it by the Aravalli Range, lies the Thar Desert.75 The original Indian plate now survives as peninsular India, the oldest and geologically most stable part of India, and extending as far north as the Satpura and Vindhya ranges in central India. These parallel ranges run from the Arabian Sea coast in Gujarat in the west to the coal-rich Chota Nagpur Plateau in Jharkhand in the east.76 To their south, the remaining peninsular landmass, the Deccan Plateau, is flanked on the left and right by the coastal ranges, Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats respectively;77 the plateau contains the oldest rock formations in India, some over one billion years old. Constituted in such fashion, India lies to the north of the equator between 6°44' and 35°30' north latitude78 and 68°7' and 97°25' east longitude.79 India's coast is 7,517 kilometres (4,700 mi) long; of this distance, 5,423 kilometres (3,400 mi) belong to peninsular India, and 2,094 kilometres (1,300 mi) to the Andaman, Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands.14 According to the Indian naval hydrographic charts, the mainland coast consists of the following: 43% sandy beaches, 11% rocky coast including cliffs, and 46% mudflats or marshy coast.14 Tso Kiagar Lake at Ladakh on the Himalayas Major Himalayan-origin rivers that substantially flow through India include the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, both of which drain into the Bay of Bengal.80 Important tributaries of the Ganges include the Yamuna and the Kosi, whose extremely low gradient causes disastrous floods every year. Major peninsular rivers whose steeper gradients prevent their waters from flooding include the Godavari, the Mahanadi, the Kaveri, and the Krishna, which also drain into the Bay of Bengal;81 and the Narmada and the Tapti, which drain into the Arabian Sea.82 Among notable coastal features of India are the marshy Rann of Kutch in western India, and the alluvial Sundarbans delta, which India shares with Bangladesh.83 India has two archipelagos: the Lakshadweep, coral atolls off India's south-western coast; and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a volcanic chain in the Andaman Sea.84 India's climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert, both of which drive the monsoons.85 The Himalayas prevent cold Central Asian katabatic winds from blowing in, keeping the bulk of the Indian subcontinent warmer than most locations at similar latitudes.8687 The Thar Desert plays a crucial role in attracting the moisture-laden southwest summer monsoon winds that, between June and October, provide the majority of India's rainfall.85 Four major climatic groupings predominate in India: tropical wet, tropical dry, subtropical humid, and montane.88 Flora and fauna Main articles: Flora of India and Fauna of India Indian giant squirrels inhabit the forests of the Western Ghats. India, which lies within the Indomalaya ecozone, displays significant biodiversity. One of eighteen megadiverse countries, it is home to 7.6% of all mammalian, 12.6% of all avian, 6.2% of all reptilian, 4.4% of all amphibian, 11.7% of all fish, and 6.0% of all flowering plant species.89 Many ecoregions, such as the shola forests, exhibit extremely high rates of endemism; overall, 33% of Indian plant species are endemic.9091 India's forest cover ranges from the tropical rainforest of the Andaman Islands, Western Ghats, and North-East India to the coniferous forest of the Himalaya. Between these extremes lie the sal-dominated moist deciduous forest of eastern India; the teak-dominated dry deciduous forest of central and southern India; and the babul-dominated thorn forest of the central Deccan and western Gangetic plain.92 Important Indian trees include the medicinal neem, widely used in rural Indian herbal remedies. The pipal fig tree, shown on the seals of Mohenjo-daro, shaded Gautama Buddha as he sought enlightenment. Many Indian species are descendants of taxa originating in Gondwana, to which India originally belonged. Peninsular India's subsequent movement towards, and collision with, the Laurasian landmass set off a mass exchange of species. However, volcanism and climatic changes 20 million years ago caused the extinction of many endemic Indian forms.93 Soon thereafter, mammals entered India from Asia through two zoogeographical passes on either side of the emerging Himalaya.92 Consequently, among Indian species, only 12.6% of mammals and 4.5% of birds are endemic, contrasting with 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of amphibians.89 Notable endemics are the Nilgiri leaf monkey and the brown and carmine Beddome's toad of the Western Ghats. India contains 172, or 2.9%, of IUCN-designated threatened species.94 These include the Asiatic Lion, the Bengal Tiger, and the Indian white-rumped vulture, which suffered a near-extinction from ingesting the carrion of diclofenac-treated cattle. In recent decades, human encroachment has posed a threat to India's wildlife; in response, the system of national parks and protected areas, first established in 1935, was substantially expanded. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act95 and Project Tiger to safeguard crucial habitat; in addition, the Forest Conservation Act96 was enacted in 1980. Along with more than five hundred wildlife sanctuaries, India hosts thirteen biosphere reserves,97 four of which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; twenty-five wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention.98 Economy Main article: Economy of India See also: Economic history of India and Economic development in India The Bombay Stock Exchange, in Mumbai, is Asia's oldest and India's largest stock exchange. For an entire generation from the 1950s until the 1980s, India followed socialist-inspired policies. The economy was shackled by extensive regulation, protectionism, and public ownership, leading to pervasive corruption and slow growth.99100101102 Since 1991, the nation has moved towards a market-based system.100101 The policy change in 1991 came after an acute balance of payments crisis, and the emphasis since then has been to use foreign trade and foreign investment as integral parts of India's economy.103 With an average annual GDP growth rate of 5.8% for the past two decades, the economy is among the fastest growing in the world.104 It has the world's second largest labour force, with 516.3 million people. In terms of output, the agricultural sector accounts for 28% of GDP; the service and industrial sectors make up 54% and 18% respectively. Major agricultural products include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish.53 Major industries include textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transport equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software.53 India's trade has reached a relatively moderate share 24% of GDP in 2006, up from 6% in 1985.100 India's share of world trade has reached 1%. Major exports include petroleum products, textile goods, gems and jewelry, software, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures.53 Major imports include crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals.53 India's GDP is US$1.237 trillion, which makes it the twelfth-largest economy in the world105 or fourth largest by purchasing power adjusted exchange rates. India's nominal per capita income US$1,068 is ranked 128th in the world. In the late 2000s, India's economic growth has averaged 7½% a year, which will double the average income in a decade.100 Despite India's impressive economic growth over recent decades, it still contains the largest concentration of poor people in the world, and has a higher rate of malnutrition among children under the age of three (46% in year 2007) than any other country in the world106107. The percentage of people living below the World Bank's international poverty line of $1.25 a day (PPP, in nominal terms Rs. 21.6 a day in urban areas and Rs 14.3 in rural areas in 2005) decreased from 60% in 1981 to 42% in 2005108 Even though India has avoided famines in recent decades, half of children are underweight, one of the highest rates in the world and nearly double the rate of Sub-Saharan Africa.109 Ongoing reforms are watched closely as India could become potentially important for the global economy. A Goldman Sachs report predicts that "from 2007 to 2020, India’s GDP per capita will quadruple," and that the Indian economy will surpass the United States by 2043, but India "will remain a low-income country for several decades, with per capita incomes well below its other BRIC peers. But if it can fulfill its growth potential, it can become a motor for the world economy, and a key contributor to generating spending growth.".102 Although the Indian economy has grown steadily over the last two decades; its growth has been uneven when comparing different social groups, economic groups, geographic regions, and rural and urban areas.110 World Bank suggests that the most important priorities are public sector reform, infrastructure, agricultural and rural development, removal of labor regulations, reforms in lagging states, and HIV/AIDS.111 Demographics Main article: Demographics of India See also: Religion in India, Languages of India, and Ethnic groups of South Asia Population density map of India. Religion in India112 Religion Percent Hinduism   80.5% Islam   13.4% Christianity   2.3% Sikhism   1.9% Buddhism   0.8% Jainism   0.4% Others   0.7% With an estimated population of 1.17 billion,9 representing 17% of the world population,113 India is the world's second most populous country. The last 50 years have seen a rapid increase in population due to medical advances and massive increase in agricultural productivity made by the green revolution.114115 Almost 70% of Indians reside in rural areas, although in recent decades migration to larger cities has led to a dramatic increase in the country's urban population. India's largest cities are Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.53 India is the world's most culturally, linguistically and genetically diverse geographical entity after the African continent.53 India is home to two major linguistic families: Indo-Aryan (spoken by about 74% of the population) and Dravidian (spoken by about 24%). Other languages spoken in India come from the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman linguistic families. Hindi, with the largest number of speakers,116 is the official language of the union.117 English is used extensively in business and administration and has the status of a 'subsidiary official language;'118 it is also important in education, especially as a medium of higher education. In addition, every state and union territory has its own official languages, and the constitution also recognises in particular 21 other languages that are either abundantly spoken or have classical status. While Sanskrit and Tamil have been studied as classical languages for many years,119 the Government of India has also accorded classical language status to Kannada and Telugu using its own criteria.120 The number of dialects in India is as high as 1,652.121 India's literacy rate is 64.8% (53.7% for females and 75.3% for males).9 The state of Kerala has the highest literacy rate at 91% while Bihar has the lowest at 47%.122123 The national human sex ratio is 944 females per 1,000 males. India's median age is 24.9, and the population growth rate of 1.38% per annum; there are 22.01 births per 1,000 people per year.9 Cities by population Mumbai Delhi Bangalore Rank Core City State Population Rank Core City State Population view • talk • edit Kolkata Chennai Hyderabad 1 Mumbai Maharashtra 13,922,125 11 Jaipur Rajasthan 3,102,808 2 Delhi Delhi 12,259,230 12 Lucknow Uttar Pradesh 2,685,528 3 Bangalore Karnataka 5,310,318 13 Nagpur Maharashtra 2,403,239 4 Kolkata West Bengal 5,080,519 14 Patna Bihar 1,814,012 5 Chennai Tamil Nadu 4,590,267 15 Indore Madhya Pradesh 1,811,513 6 Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh 4,025,335 16 Bhopal Madhya Pradesh 1,752,244 7 Ahmedabad Gujarat 3,913,793 17 Thane Maharashtra 1,739,697 8 Pune Maharashtra 3,337,481 18 Ludhiana Punjab 1,701,212 9 Surat Gujarat 3,233,988 19 Agra Uttar Pradesh 1,638,209 10 Kanpur Uttar Pradesh 3,144,267 20 Pimpri Chinchwad Maharashtra 1,553,538 2009 estimation124 Culture Main article: Culture of India The Taj Mahal in Agra was built by Shah Jahan as memorial to wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site considered to be of "outstanding universal value".125 India's culture is marked by a high degree of syncretism126 and cultural pluralism.127 It has managed to preserve established traditions while absorbing new customs, traditions, and ideas from invaders and immigrants and spreading its cultural influence to other parts of Asia, mainly South East and East Asia. Traditional Indian society is defined by relatively strict social hierarchy. The Indian caste system describes the social stratification and social restrictions in the Indian subcontinent, in which social classes are defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary groups, often termed as jātis or castes. Traditional Indian family values are highly respected, and multi-generational patriarchal joint families have been the norm, although nuclear family are becoming common in urban areas.99 An overwhelming majority of Indians have their marriages arranged by their parents and other respected family members, with the consent of the bride and groom.128 Marriage is thought to be for life,128 and the divorce rate is extremely low.129 Child marriage is still a common practice, with half of women in India marrying before the legal age of 18.130131 Indian cuisine is characterised by a wide variety of regional styles and sophisticated use of herbs and spices. The staple foods in the region are rice (especially in the south and the east) and wheat (predominantly in the north).132 Spices like black pepper that are now consumed world wide are originally native to the Indian subcontinent. Chili pepper, which was introduced by the Portuguese is also very much used within Indian Cuisine.133 Scene from Kalidasa's The Recognition of Śakuntalā as painted by Raja Ravi Varma. Traditional Indian dress varies across the regions in its colours and styles and depends on various factors, including climate. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari for women and dhoti or lungi for men; in addition, stitched clothes such as salwar kameez for women and kurta-pyjama and European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular. Many Indian festivals are religious in origin, although several are celebrated irrespective of caste and creed. Some popular festivals are Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ugadi, Thai Pongal, Holi, Onam, Vijayadasami, Durga Puja, Eid ul-Fitr, Bakr-Id, Christmas, Buddha Jayanti and Vaisakhi.134 India has three national holidays. Other sets of holidays, varying between nine and twelve, are officially observed in individual states. Religious practices are an integral part of everyday life and are a very public affair. Indian architecture is one area that represents the diversity of Indian culture. Much of it, including notable monuments such as the Taj Mahal and other examples of Mughal architecture and South Indian architecture, comprises a blend of ancient and varied local traditions from several parts of the country and abroad. Vernacular architecture also displays notable regional variation. Indian music covers a wide range of traditions and regional styles. Classical music largely encompasses the two genres – North Indian Hindustani, South Indian Carnatic traditions and their various offshoots in the form of regional folk music. Regionalised forms of popular music include filmi and folk music; the syncretic tradition of the bauls is a well-known form of the latter. Indian dance too has diverse folk and classical forms. Among the well-known folk dances are the bhangra of the Punjab, the bihu of Assam, the chhau of West Bengal, Jharkhand and sambalpuri of Orissa and the ghoomar of Rajasthan. Eight dance forms, many with narrative forms and mythological elements, have been accorded classical dance status by India's National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama. These are: bharatanatyam of the state of Tamil Nadu, kathak of Uttar Pradesh, kathakali and mohiniyattam of Kerala, kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, manipuri of Manipur, odissi of Orissa and the sattriya of Assam.135 Theatre in India often incorporates music, dance, and improvised or written dialogue.136 Often based on Hindu mythology, but also borrowing from medieval romances, and news of social and political events, Indian theatre includes the bhavai of state of Gujarat, the jatra of West Bengal, the nautanki and ramlila of North India, the tamasha of Maharashtra, the burrakatha of Andhra Pradesh, the terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu, and the yakshagana of Karnataka.137 The Indian film industry is the largest in the world.138 Bollywood, based in Mumbai, makes commercial Hindi films and is the most prolific film industry in the world.139 Established traditions also exist in Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu language cinemas.140 The earliest works of Indian literature were transmitted orally and only later written down.141 These included works of Sanskrit literature – such as the early Vedas, the epics Mahābhārata and Ramayana, the drama Abhijñānaśākuntalam (The Recognition of Śakuntalā), and poetry such as the Mahākāvya142 – and the Tamil language Sangam literature.143 Among Indian writers of the modern era active in Indian languages or English, Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in 1913. Sports Main article: Sports of India A 2008 Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket match being played between the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders India's official national sport is field hockey, administered by the Indian Hockey Federation. The Indian field hockey team won the 1975 Men's Hockey World Cup and 8 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals at the Olympic games. However, cricket is the most popular sport; the India national cricket team won the 1983 Cricket World Cup and the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, and shared the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka. Cricket in India is administered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and domestic competitions include the Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy, the Deodhar Trophy, the Irani Trophy and the Challenger Series. In addition Indian cricket league and Indian premier league organise Twenty20 competitions. Tennis has become increasingly popular, owing to the victories of the India Davis Cup team. Association football is also a popular sport in northeast India, West Bengal, Goa and Kerala.144 The Indian national football team has won the South Asian Football Federation Cup several times. Chess, commonly held to have originated in India, is also gaining popularity with the rise in the number of Indian Grandmasters.145 Traditional sports include kabaddi, kho kho, and gilli-danda, which are played nationwide. India is also home to the ancient martial arts, Kalarippayattu and Varma Kalai. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award are India's highest awards for achievements in sports, while the Dronacharya Award is awarded for excellence in coaching. India hosted or co-hosted the 1951 and the 1982 Asian Games, the 1987 and 1996 Cricket World Cup. It is also scheduled to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2011 Cricket World Cup. 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